Abercorn Common, Savannah, Georgia - LEED Certified Retail Shopping Center with Dining

Abercorn Common shopping center, accessible from three main artery roads leading to six different points of access, is located at 8108 Abercorn St. in Savannah, Georgia. Originally a 38,000 square-foot area called Abercorn Plaza, the center that first opened in 1968 would eventually quadruple in size. Managed by Melaver Inc. the now 180,000-square-foot shopping center is the first all-retail LEED, the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, Core and Shell Project in the United States. The shopping center was awarded Silver certification in April 2006. The Phase II development, Shops 600, at Abercorn Common received Silver LEED certification in 2007 based on the green building rating system that measures the quality of high performing, healthy buildings. Demographically, the shopping center, adjacent to the Oglethorpe Mall, is at the center of a highly trafficked road that is driven by 100,000 plus vehicles daily. The shops aim to target all of the population within a 41-mile radius.

The Shops 600 specifically uses green features like solar water heaters and a vegetative, highly reflective white roof for insulation purposes, which also conveniently happens to help tenants save money on their electricity bills. Abercorn Common also makes use of a cistern for collecting an estimated 5,000,000 gallons of rainwater per year from the all the roofs in the entire shopping center that is later used for irrigation purposes. Additionally, the center uses only ultra-low flow fixtures, toilets and waterless urinals. Shoppers and workers alike should be pleased to know that low volatile organic compound (VOC) paints, sealants and adhesives were used in order to substantially improve the indoor air quality of the shops at Abercorn Common. During the construction period, over 6,000 tons of material was either recycled or reused, and the center has continued to be green after its construction by offering on-site cardboard, plastic and glass recycling. The environmentally conscious community even goes so far as to reward patrons who drive hybrids and tenants that carpool with preferred parking spaces. Today, a third phase addition to the shopping plaza is in the planning stages.